El Sereno car-to-car shooting suspect captured by police dog

EL SERENO - A suspect in a gang-related car-to-car shooting was tracked down by a police dog and captured at the end of an intensive police search after hiding in a residence for two and a half hours, police said Friday.

The 30-year-old suspect forced his way into the home of a man and his two teenage sons in the 4400 block of Huntington Drive South around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, said Los Angeles police Sgt. Michael Morisseau.

The suspect was being sought after a car-to-car shooting, also in the 4400 block of Huntington, around 2:30 p.m., Morisseau said.

The 30-year-old victim admitted himself to County-USC Medical Center about 20 minutes later with non-life-threatening wounds and underwent surgery, Morisseau said, adding that the victim has not been co-operating with police.

Police then received a call from a witness claiming to have seen the gunman sitting in a Toyota Camry in a driveway off Fern Place, between Huntington Drive and Huntington Drive South, around 4:20 p.m., Morisseau said.

The suspect fled as police approached, he said, and a 4-to-5 block containment perimeter was established.

Morisseau estimated approximately 100 residences were searched before the suspect was found by a police dog around 6:55 p.m. Thursday.

The suspect had forced his way into the residence almost immediately after taking flight and had taken clothing in an effort to conceal himself, Morisseau said.

The father and sons in the residence were threatened but not harmed, he said.

The suspect was later booked on suspicion of robbery and was still being questioned by detectives about the drive-by shooting, Morisseau said.